AU Season 1 - The Sue Sylvester Shuffle
by comicbookfan23
Summary: Ep 1/? - Leo Holloway, who's moved from the UK to Lima, Ohio, begins his first day at McKinley High. After a dreary start, it soon perks up when he encounters a certain blonde, but who's already spoken for. Blaine/OMC, eventually Sam/OMC - MAJOR SLASH!
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note**: I just like to say that since he's come into Glee, I absolutely love Sam Evans! He's drop dead gorgeous, has a nice singing voice, and has a nice personality about him. And check out those plump lips! *nearly faints* Although I love Kurt, Quinn and Santana, Sam needs someone who's just as sexy, also smart, but can prove a little bit of challenge for the blonde stud to woo! That's why I've thought up Leo, who's just the right guy for the job!

Also I'd like to say that my OMC's based a little on myself, but most of him is purely from my varied imagination!

So please, read, review, tell me what u think and I'll be seeing u soon!

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><p><strong>Chapter One<strong>

As he presses the button to shut off his alarm, Leo Holloway lets out a sleepy moan as he stretches, hearing a few cracks before sitting up. Climbing out of bed, he steps around the boxes that are still scattered around the bedroom and still need to be unpacked, and heads into the adjoining bathroom to relieve himself. Once done, he flushes and washes his hands afterwards before turning on the shower.

Slipping out of his boxers and chucking them into the laundry hamper, he steps into the shower, sighing in contentment the moment the hot, but not scolding, water caresses his lightly-tanned skin and soothes his muscles. It takes him another ten minutes to shampoo his hair and wash his body with the shower gel before he's climbing back out.

Grabbing a towel from the airing cupboard, Leo proceeds to dry himself from head to toe before he's taking another one out to wrap around his slender waist. The one he'd just used to dry himself with he folds and puts on the radiator to dry. He doesn't want his Mom to come in and start yelling for leaving wet towels lying around.

Back in his bedroom, he heads straight to his iPod, which's secured in its speaker dock he'd gotten from his parents for Christmas, and puts on the first song on his playlist. It immediately starts to play softly in the background and, while he's looking in his chest of drawers and his wardrobe for what he's going to wear for his first day at McKinley High, starts to sing along with the song…

'_Make believe_

_If you're sick of everything_

_All the time before us_

_Doesn't taint my memory…'_ Opening one of the drawers beside his bed, he takes out a pair of white boxers and socks, and slips them on just as quickly. He then closes the drawer straight afterward.

'_When the walls they put around us_

_Can't stop what we believe_

_When the love we share forgets us_

_This dream will set us free…'_ Now standing in front of his wardrobe, he opens it up, taking out a white t-shirt from one of the hangers and a pair of dark blue navy jeans from the shelf below. Pulling the t-shirt down from over his head, he pulls up his jeans and buttons them up, hanging just a little loose around his slim waist. _O-kay, I've gotta ease up on my fitness regime or I've gotta get a size smaller_, he mulls, closing the doors behind him.

_(So please don't tell me) _

_'Deliver me, deliver me…'_

_(So please don't tell me)_

_'If it's up to me, if it's up to me…'_

_'I've had it once and now I want it again…'_

_(I've had it once and now I want it again) _

_'I've had it once and now I want it again…'_

_(I've had it once and now I want it again)_

'_When the walls they put around us_

_Can't stop what we believe_

_When the love we share forgets us_

_This dream will set us free…'_ Sitting on the side of his bed, he bends over, reaches under his bed, and pulls out a pair of white trainers with a red Niké logo on one side. Tugging them on, Leo ties them up nice and tight, but not enough to cut off his circulation.

_(So please don't tell me)_

_'Deliver me, deliver me…'_

_(So please don't tell me)_

_'If it's up to me, if it's up to me_

_I've had it once and now I want it again…'_

_(I've had it once and now I want it again)_

_'I've had it once and now I want it again…'_

_(I've had it once and now I want it again)_

Once the song's finished, he turns the speaker dock off, takes the iPod out and attaches his earphones to it before pocketing it in one of his jeans pockets.

Heading back into the bathroom, he takes one of his deodorants from off the shelf and sprays under his arms and chest area. Thankfully he's not one of these people who likes to drench himself in it, causing people to practically cough in your presence from the pungent aroma.

Once done, he turns and heads out through the other door, which leads into the hallway, proceeding down the stairs towards the gorgeous smells of pancakes, toast, and tea coming from the kitchen. Standing by the breakfast bar, his Mum's busy buttering the toast while the pancakes were cooking nicely in the pan.

"Morning sweetheart, I see that you're about ready for your first day at McKinley. Are you feeling alright?" She asks, leaving the buttering to attend to the pancakes, which she flips over so it cooks the other side. The delicious aroma's making Leo's stomach rumble.

"Yeah, I guess so. A little nervous, but isn't anybody on their first day at an entirely different school?" He answers, sitting on the stool on the other side of the breakfast bar, his plate and cutlery already set up for him. "Mum, has Dad left for work already?"

With the pancakes nicely cooked, she picks up the pan and saunters over to the breakfast bar, using the spatula to scoop it up and onto Leo's plate, "Yeah, I'm afraid you've just missed him. Working at the same company, but in an entirely different country, he wants to make a good first impression with his new colleagues and boss," she adds, returning the pan to the cooker and turning the gas off.

Picking up the maple syrup bottle, he squirts a little onto his pancakes before folding it over and squishing it. Taking up his knife and fork into his hands, he begins to dig into it, loving how it seems to melt in his mouth, causing his taste-buds to go into overdrive. His Mum's an excellent cook, if he does say so himself. It doesn't take him long to devour his pancakes and his two slices of buttered toast before he's packing them into the dishwasher, and heading back up the stairs to brush his teeth.

Once he's done that, he fetches his cellphone from his room, his schoolbag from his closet, and heads back downstairs. Settling his bag on the breakfast bar, he packs it with everything he needs for school before zipping it back up.

"You know, honey," his Mum starts, watching him swing his bag over his shoulder, her voice stopping him from saying, "See ya later," and leaving for school, "I heard you singing before you came down for breakfast. You truly have a wonderful voice, Leo. I'm not trying to force you into anything, but you really should try out for the Glee club."

Leo shakes his head, a sigh passing through his lips, "Thanks for the pep talk Mum, but we all remember what happened the last time I joined a _Glee_ club."

She sighs heavily, mostly in frustration, knowing that it's going to be one of _those _talks again. Ones that mostly ends up with them screaming at each other and Leo hating her for bringing up such painful memories, "Look, Leo, I don't want this to lead to another fight, believe me I think we've both had enough of those to last a lifetime, but you know that I'm right. Singing was your passion Leo, you were _extremely _good at it, and people clearly saw that. Don't waste such a talent by throwing it away and letting the people who thought otherwise win."

There's a moment of silence, like Leo's pondering about it, before he's heading to the front door, "I've gotta go Mum or I'm gonna be late for school."

Before she can say anything more about it, she hears the front door slamming behind him, and sighs deeply again, afraid that she might be losing her son who used to be so full of life before they moved here from the UK. And before the _incident_ which caused Leo to drop out of Glee club, swearing he'd never sing again.

(Song: Overdrive - "Deliverance")

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><p>As he's walking up one of the pathways that lead up to McKinley High, Leo takes a look at the vast structure and takes a deep breath, "Alright Leo, here goes nothing," he tells himself, watching all matter of student life passing him by. He can see the "Jocks" banded together wearing their jerseys dyed in the school's colours, their girlfriends, who are all wearing cheerleader outfits with the same colours, following behind them. They look to him like they're going to be trouble, but Leo isn't worried about that at the moment. He's too nervous to be. Being at a new school with no friends to accompany you, it's scary, but he'll get through it.<p>

He just has to keep it to himself the fact that he's actually gay, and absolutely loves to sing. Which won't be very hard, seeing as he's the straight-acting type of gay, and not at all like the campy, flamboyant ones. Don't get him wrong, he's totally down with those who like to express themselves more _effeminately,_ but he just isn't like that.

Hearing the school bell ring, it shakes him from his pondering, taking another deep breath, breathing back out a second later, and following the other students into McKinley. _And so it begins_…


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

As soon as he strolls through the front doors, it's utter chaos. All manner of students are rushing around either to get whatever it is they need from their lockers or meeting up with their friends or hurrying to their tutorial room. Leo slips his bag off his shoulders, unzips it and takes out his school timetable to see where _his _tutorial is.

"Mr. Schuester. Room 12," he mumbles to himself, shoving the timetable back in and zipping up his bag before setting off to _try_ and find where his classroom is.

As he walks down the corridor, he finds that to his right is the auditorium, and directly opposite is an office with a sign beside the door reading: _Mrs. Pillsbury-Howell_ with _Guidance Counsellor_ directly underneath it.

_Hmm, maybe she could "guide" me to my classroom_, he mulls over, seeing the petite-looking, red-haired lady wearing plastic gloves and busily cleaning up a particular spot on her desk with a toothbrush. _Must have a thing for cleanliness_, Leo smiles as he gently knocks on the glass door.

Mrs. Pillsbury-Howell looks up from her cleaning, with brown, beady eyes, and smiles, stopping what she's doing for the moment, gesturing him to come in.

"Good morning, how can I help you?" She asks, her voice sounding soft, almost a whisper as Leo moves closer to her desk, watching her peeling off the gloves and throwing them into the nearby bin.

"Err…I'm a new student here, and I was wondering if you could direct me to my tutor room, please? If you're not too busy, that is?"

Putting the toothbrush away in one of the drawers, she stands up, shaking her head, "No, no I'm not busy. Who's your tutor, and what classroom are you in?" She asks, making her way over to him, finding that he's quite tall, but not as tall as one Finn Hudson.

"Mr. Schuester in Room 12," he answers simply, noticing that as soon as he'd uttered his tutor's name, she looks down to her feet, shifting awkwardly on the spot, "Mrs. Pillsbury-Howell? Are you alright?"

She nods her head quickly, smiling again, "Yes, yes I'm perfectly fine. And please, call me Ms. P. All the other kids do, and I don't mind it at all. We'd best get going or else you're going to be late for your first day." She allows him to open the door for her, uttering a jovial, "Thank you," before leading him back into the corridor. It's a little quieter now, seeing as it's nearly time for the bell to ring.

"Not to make it sound obvious, but from your accent, you're British, am I correct?"

Leo smiles, "Yes, you are. We moved here during the Christmas holidays All the furniture's in the right place, it's just all the little things like CDs, DVDs, pictures, knick-knacks etc that just need sorting out."

Turning down the second corridor on the left from Ms. P's office, which Leo mentally jotted down for further reference, Ms. P starts to slow down, walking awkwardly like she doesn't want to go any nearer to the classroom in case something might jump out at her or something. Pointing to the door that leads into the room, she says softly, "That's your tutor room just there. If there's nothing else you'd like me to help with you, then I'll leave you to it," and before he can even say a, "Thank you very much," she's off, disappearing around the corner, her high heels clicking into the distance.

"Well, that wasn't at all _weird_," he utters sarcastically, taking another deep breath before entering the classroom, and finding that most of his classmates are already in there. Either talking amongst themselves or waiting patiently for the teacher to arrive. Surprisingly, they don't even notice Leo standing there.

Spotting the empty desk on the front row right next to the door, he quickly sits down, placing his bag on the floor, and waits like the others for Mr. Schuester to arrive to get what Leo knows is going to be one of the longest days of his life…

_Thank God it's lunchtime_, Leo says to himself as he makes his way to the cafeteria. He'd survived four lessons, and surprisingly, no-one seems to be that bothered that there's a new student in their midst. They're all pretty occupied or psyched-up about the football game which is set for this afternoon. He's not into that sort of sport. Too macho for his taste. His passion's swimming. Being on the swim team at his old school back in England, he and his team-mates had won many medals and awards, and he's hoping to do so again, here at McKinley.

Finding himself a quiet spot in the corner of the cafeteria, Leo puts his bag down and takes out his phone from his back pocket. Knowing that his friends are 7 hours in front of him, probably getting ready to go out to one of their favourite "hotspots", he starts texting them all to have a great time, and that he's missing them terribly. Once he's finished, he shoves it back into his pocket, and takes out his lunch.

Not realizing it, sitting across from him on the other side of the hall, a small group of admirers are watching him in awe, wondering whether to approach him, without scaring the poor guy, or leave him to himself.

"So, that's the new student? From England?" Tina asks, Mike and Artie answering her with a nod while Mercedes continues to ogle at him, fascinated by the fact that he's all things British, "Mercedes? Earth to Mercedes! Are you even listening?" Her voice a little louder than usual in hopes to grab her attention.

Mercedes looks to be in a world of her own, her eyes glazing over, as though in a trance, as she continues to watch the new guy eating his sandwich, and having no attempt to socialize with his fellow students, "Yeah, yeah I'm listening," she says distantly, smiling as he takes another bite, "Look at him, he's so…dreamy, handsome and, what the…?"

Back over at Leo's table, his lunch's politely interrupted by a brunette whose wide smile bares immaculate white teeth, her eyes the same colour as her hair, and with a nose that Leo's inner voice cries, _Nose job!_ Also her chosen ensemble of pink and black's making him feel slightly nauseous.

"Hi, I'm Rachel Berry, and I like to be the first to humbly welcome you to McKinley High," she introduces herself, sitting directly opposite him at the table, placing her bag beside her.

Leo swallows whatever's left in his mouth and replies, smiling so as to appear friendly, "Thank you, I guess, but judging by the atmosphere," he gestures with his head towards the many students inhabiting the cafeteria, "I'll be right in saying that you'll be the only one greeting me like this." He then extends his hand, "Name's Leo Holloway by the way..."

"I may appear a little _forward_, but I know everything about you. Who wouldn't with a reputation like yours," Rachel interrupts, looking into her bag and fishing out several pieces of paper which Leo fully understands probably holds every achievement he's earned before coming here. "You've won numerous amounts of medals, awards and championships in swimming. Critics are dubbing you the next _Michael Phelps_. I also found this," she adds, taking another piece of paper out of her bag and passes it tentatively to him, watching as he studies it.

It's an article featuring a picture of him and his fellow glee clubbers back in England winning the UK's version of Nationals last summer. It isn't as grandiose as the American version, but it's still pretty major. In the picture he had a huge smile on his face and, along with several others, was helping in holding the large trophy. It makes him smile, remembering all the joys of being in that glee club known to all as "Sensational", because they truly were in their own way.

The smile, however, soon disappears when he sees the person, his _boyfriend_ and best friend, standing next to him with their arm around his shoulders, thumbing up for the camera. Leo thought the world of him, thought they'd be together forever, and that nothing could stop them in their love for each other. Unfortunately for Leo, looks can be misleading, and if it wasn't for one of his friends looking out for him, his so-called boyfriend would've taken something sacred from him without his consent. The incident led to him and his family moving over here. His parents say it's because of Dad's work, but Leo believes that what had happened to him had some part in it.

"Thank you for your hospitality, it's been really nice meeting you, but I've gotta go," he suddenly says, Rachel realizing straight away that she'd just struck a nerve, and tries to apologize, "I'm sorry for…" but it's too late. Leo's gathered all his things, and heading out the cafeteria in a hurry.

Back to the "Gleeks" sitting on the other side of the room, who'd witnessed the scene unfold, Mercedes' the first to say it as she sits up in her seat, having just leant on her elbow watching, "Now that's unsurprising…Rachel Berry scares away yet another new student. Is it me or is that slowly becoming her _thing_?"

They all quietly laugh at her point when they notice Rachel's heading over to their table, a glum look on her face at whatever she'd talked to him about.

Slumping herself down next to Mercedes, the diva's the first to ask her, "Okay Rachel, what the hell was that all about?"

She explains to the small group of her intention to persuade Leo to, at least, consider auditioning for Glee club because, like Sunshine Corazon, he's truly an amazing singer as well as the obvious fact that he'd make an excellent addition to the team and also boost up their chances of winning at Regionals. Having lost Kurt due to his moving to Dalton Academy because of Karofsky's tormenting, it's the only chance they've got.

While that's going on, Leo's trying his best to get as far away from people as possible, not wanting them to see him fighting the tears just dying to shed. Seeing that photo, that _person_ again, brought back some painful memories, those he reckons he's never going to get rid of at this rate.

As he turns the corner, he bumps into something that seems to come out of nowhere, and when he looks up, he sees the most beautiful thing he's ever laid eyes upon. All he can do is stare when the person asks, "Oh God, are you alright? I'm sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going."

Leo shakes his head, "No, it's totally fine. I wasn't looking where I was going either," he smiles, this bringing out the other person's smile, perfect teeth and red, plump lips, making Leo's stomach flutter and his heart beat a little faster.

"Hey, wait a minute. You're in my tutor. The new guy from England, am I right?" He asks, still keeping that smile in check, causing Leo to blush a little.

"Yeah, moved over here during the Christmas holidays. Name's Leo Holloway," he introduces himself, giving out his hand for the person to shake it, "Sam Evans," he answers back, adjusting his bag on his shoulder. "I was about to grab something to eat at the cafeteria. Do you wanna, perhaps, join me and I'll buy you something? It's the least I can do for nearly shoving you on your ass. We could get to know each other a little better."

Leo immediately shakes his head again, remembering that awkward scene he'd just had with that Rachel girl, "Thank you so much for the kind offer, but I just want to be alone for a little while. Being in a new school with none of your old friends by your side is kinda overwhelming."

"I know exactly how you feel," Sam sympathizes, having felt exactly the same way when he'd transferred to McKinley, but he can also tell that something's up and decides to leave it for the moment. "Alright, well maybe we can catch up later. I'm sure we've got some classes together. Maybe we could sit next to each other?"

Trying not to make himself appear impolite to someone who's obviously trying to make friends, Leo smiles again, "Sure…definitely. I'd like that. It might actually make me feel more at home."

"Cool. See you later then. Bye," and with a slight wave of the hand, Sam's disappearing around the corner, on his way to get his food.

"Yeah, bye," Leo replies, watching him go, his heart not stopping itself from pounding against his chest throughout their conversation as he walks in the other direction. Still wanting to find a place so he can be alone with his thoughts.

_Hiding my sexuality's going to be a lot tougher than I thought_


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

While Leo's in search for somewhere quiet to mull over what'd happened back in the cafeteria a few moments ago, Sam's just entering it, noticing Tina and Mercedes waving him over to their table. Taking the only seat next to Rachel, he puts his lunch bag on the table whilst shoving his schoolbag underneath it.

Looking around the table, Sam can literally feel the awkwardness in the air, "Why do I feel like I could cut the air with a knife?" He asks, taking the sandwich out and biting into it.

It's Mercedes who answers his question, "Well Rachel here thought it'd be nice to scare the new guy literally to death on his first day of school…"

Rachel immediately holds up her hands, "No, it wasn't like that at all. We all know what it feels like on the first day of school, but it can be incredibly overwhelming when you're from an entirely different country. I was just trying to make him feel welcome, that's all."

"No offence Rachel, but when I met him in the hallway, he was anything, but welcomed. What did you say to him anyways? I could sense that he was uneasy about something, but I didn't want to pry."

Rachel reaches into her bag and takes out the papers she'd shown Leo previous, "He was alright until I shown him these, and then he changed. It was like he'd seen a ghost, and that's when he took off."

Sam takes the piece of paper from her hand and takes a look. It's a newspaper article that was covering the UK's version of Nationals, with the headline: "Truly Sensational!" Leo's there with his fellow glee members with a huge smile on his face as his teacher holds up the trophy in triumph.

"He was in a Glee club back in England?"

"Yeah. It's the reason why I approached him, actually. To ask if he would like to join ours, but then he…changed. He became anxious, like I'd touched a nerve or something, and that's when he took off. I didn't mean too, I was just trying to be nice." Rachel replies, looking down at her lap, her hair dangling over her face, feeling sorry for herself.

Sam passes the picture back and says with a smile, "Don't be too hard on yourself, Rachel. How were you supposed to know? And besides, I have a feeling he'll come around, eventually. I should know, I did."

The bell rings for the ending of lunch, but seeing on his timetable that he's got a free period, _sweet!_, he decides to stay right where he is in the auditorium which is devoid of anybody. Just the way he wants it. He didn't cry when he'd found this place. By the time he wanted to, his need to find someplace to think overcame his need to cry it all out.

It's quite a cosy place, in his opinion, with red-coloured velvety seats that you'd probably find in any theatre, a relatively warm atmosphere, and a stage that could bring any Broadway stage to shame.

Noticing the microphone propped upfront, as though it'd been used recently or is about to be used, Leo has an idea. An idea that will, for a few moments anyway, relieve him of the horrid thoughts that have been plaguing him ever since it happened and give him some sort of relief.

He makes sure that it's on and mutters, "One, two, one, two," and finds that it's working perfectly. Then, taking his iPod out of his pocket, he pulls the earphones out and presses the "iPod" symbol on the touch-screen. Sliding his thumb up the screen to scroll down the multitude of songs he'd downloaded onto it, he finds the one he wants and presses "play".

One of the things he'd appreciated when in the Glee club back in England were his teacher's, Mr. Banks, great quotations. One of these quotations that sticks in Leo's mind at this very moment is, "_If you've got something troubling on your mind, it's best to get it off your chest by either talking about it to someone who you trust or singing it"_. He chooses the latter.

As it begins Leo closes his eyes, listening to the music, swaying gently to the gentle beat as the first verse approaches:

"_Don't lie and say that it's ok_

_It's alright if there's nothing more to say_

_So I'm running away_

_I'm leaving this place_

_Yeah, I'm running away_

_I'm running away_

_Don't tell me I'm the one to blame_

_It's too late for you to make me stay_

_No, I won't stay_

_So I'm running away_

_I'm leaving this place_

_Yeah, I'm running away_

_I'm running away"_

Meanwhile, on her way back to her office from the Teacher's Lounge, Mrs. Pillsbury-Howell's heels can be heard clicking along the polished floor, but she stops in her tracks when she swears she can hear singing. At first she thinks it might be Kurt singing one of his solos for Glee, but the voice, although just as angelic, has a masculine undertone that makes it all its own.

Following the lyrics, like a hypnotized sailor to a mystical Siren, Emma finds out soon enough that it's coming from inside the auditorium. Opening the door just a little and taking a peek, she can see that it's the new student she'd helped earlier today, up on stage, eyes closed as though he's in the moment.

Not wasting any more time, she spins on her heels and hurries as fast as her shoes will let her down the corridor in the direction of Glee club. Since Kurt had transferred because of Karofsky's incessant bullying, it'd dealt a blow to the club, and she'd been told by Will that they needed someone to take his place for Regionals.

The new guy singing in the auditorium could just be that person.

Approaching one of the two open doors to the Glee club, she can hear singing coming from inside and when she stands in the entrance, she notices that it's Puck and Rachel performing a duet, but what's wrong with the picture is the fact that they're doing it in front of Coach Beiste and the rest of the football team, as well as the regular Glee clubbers.

_What are they doing here?_ Her inner voice wonders as she tip-toes into the room straight for Will, who's sitting in the chair nearest his office, observing the class from a distance. Taking in the fact that he hasn't noticed her yet, Emma's not surprised that when she taps him gently on the shoulder, he jumps a little in his seat.

"Emma?" He whispers, not wanting to disturb the session, "What are you doing here?"

"I know this is an awkward moment to ask this and I can see that you're in the middle of something right now, but you've really got to see this…and it can't wait," she whispers back, gesturing him to follow her.

Will creases his eyebrows in confusion, but it must be something important if she has to interrupt his class and eager for him to follow her. Leaning to his right, he catches Sam's attention and whispers, "I'll be back in a moment."

Now following shortly behind her, he asks with concern, "What is it Emma that can't wait 'til after class?"

"Just wait and see Will."

A moment or two later, he finds himself standing outside the auditorium and hears singing coming from within.

"Now I know the situation regarding Kurt is still a little _fresh_ for all of you, but you've been saying that you need someone for Regionals, and I personally think that the person in there is that _someone_."

Hearing the voice from out there, Will can't help, but smile as Emma could be onto something. Opening the door just enough so he can put his head through and peek in, just like Emma had done a few moments prior, he observes the boy standing on the stage and realizes that it's the new student in his class.

"_I'm moving on from this place_

_I'm leaving and I won't wait_

_I'm running away_

_I'm running away_

_I'm leaving this place_

_Yeah, I'm running away_

_I'm running away"_

Will recognizes the song to be _Running Away_ by _Midnight Hour_, and by the look on his face, he can tell that the song means something to him.

When Leo finishes, he's just about to step off the stage when he hears one of the doors closing, and looks up. Walking down the aisle is his tutor and Spanish teacher, Mr. Schuester. Emma had to return to her office in case anyone wanted to see her, informing Will that she'd see him later.

"Oh, I'm not in trouble am I? I honestly didn't know no-one's supposed to be in here," he starts, pulling his earphones out, but Will gestures him to stop, "No, you're not in trouble Leo…quite the opposite actually. Can you come down here so we can talk without shouting at each other?" He asks, that infectious smile on his face.

"Sure." Leo then wraps the earphones around his iPod and shoves them into his pocket before walking down the steps towards Mr. Schuester.

"Now I know we only met each other this morning, but when you introduced yourself to the class, you didn't mention that you _are _a talented singer. Why didn't you?" Will asks, amazed that someone with such astounding talent would keep that hidden away.

Leo rolls his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest, a little uncomfortable in where this conversation's going, "Because it's something that most guys don't brag about, especially when they're surrounded by strangers. I didn't mention it also because it's quite a _touchy_ subject for me. A subject I don't feel like talking about any time soon."

Feeling as though Mr. Schuester's about to ask him why, he asks hastily, "Can I go now? I'd like to use the rest of my free period to find my next class. That's just one of the inconveniences of being a new student."

"Yeah, you can go," Will replies, hearing Leo say that he'll see him later and watching him as he leaves the auditorium. Staying behind for a moment, Will can't stop thinking about their conversation and Leo's reaction when he mentioned the tremendous gift that he clearly has, but clearly doesn't want to show to anyone else.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

_Bbrriinngg!_

That's the signal for the end of the day, and Leo can't be more thankful as he _neatly _shoves his books and belongings into his bag, and leaves the classroom where he'd just had English with a Mr. Larkin.

He's a nice teacher. Well-mannered, attentive, but very austere whenever a student decides to misbehave in his class, which is understandable really, but all-in-all, Leo knows he's going to like being in that class. _As well as sitting next to Sam Evans being the _major_ added bonus!_ His voice can't help, but tease Leo who's making his way very hastily to the main entrance to the school, and freedom!

As he's walking along the path, his mind mulls over the fact that he's had a pretty _eventful_ first day of school. Fortunately, out of all the chaos and the drama, he'd made his first friend. Sam Evans.

_Just saying his name gets my heart pounding and my stomach all in a flutter_, he smiles, reaching the end of the path and not realizing that that _said_ person's calling out his name.

"Leo! Hey, wait up!" Sam calls out, dodging past students, and uttering, "Excuse me," and, "Thanks," whenever needed until he eventually catches up with Leo, placing a hand on his shoulder to make him aware of his presence. Leo turns around to face him, and notices the slightly surprised look on his face before it turns into a smile, like he's pleased to see him again or something.

"Oh, hey Sam, what's up?" He asks, a little saddened that Sam has to pull his hand away, but the smile on his face more than makes up for it.

"I'm glad I caught up with you. I've been wanting to ask you something since lunch, but didn't know whether you'd be interested or not…"

_Could it be, "I was wondering if you'd like to go out sometime?"_ Leo's inner voice interrupts, putting a smile on Leo's face who prays to God doesn't make him look awkward in any way. Fortunately, Sam doesn't seem to notice as Leo asks, "Is it…about what happened between me and that Rachel girl earlier? Because I'm going to apologise to her when I see her next time," but Sam cuts him short, his hands waving to stop him from saying what he's about to say, "No, it's nothing to do with that, and I'm pretty sure Rachel's feeling a lot more sorry than you are. She may appear to be a bit _forward_, especially to new students, but she honestly means well. I should know 'cos she's a friend of mine."

Knowing that now makes Leo feel even worse than he already does.

"What I want to ask you is…are you doing anything tonight?"

At that moment Leo's heart skips a beat, and his stomach's all a flutter, like there are butterflies fluttering away inside it. _Oh…my…god! I must be dreaming!_ "Err…tonight? No, not much really. I've still got some unpacking to do, but it's not as if that can't be done over time. Why? What's happening tonight?"

Sam smiles, it just causing Leo to melt on the spot, "It's the championship game, and I would really appreciate it if you could come, and cheer for us." If he'd said it in any other tone other than the one he's using now, the friendly and rather _flirty_ one, Leo will happily decline it, but he doesn't, and so finds himself agreeing, even though he knows nothing about American Football other than the fact that it produces some rather hot guys to gawk at.

"Sure, why not."

"It's okay if you don't wanna come. I'm not forcing you to…" but before he can finish, Leo interrupts him, "No, it's absolutely fine. It'd be a good excuse for me to get out of the house and besides, I've always wanted to watch a football match. American, that is." He adds, his smile a little wider this time, showing off his immaculate teeth.

"Cool, so I'll see you back here around seven-ish? The game doesn't start until half seven, but if you get here a little earlier, I can introduce to you some of my friends. They've been dying to meet you since it was announced that we'd been getting a transfer student from the UK. Is that okay?"

Leo nods his head, his smile never faltering for a second, "Yeah, no problem," he answers just as Sam looks at his watch, and sighs deeply, "Sorry, but I've gotta get home, and make sure that I've got everything. I don't want to get back here, and realize that I've forgotten something important. I'd look like a right ass then, wouldn't I?"

This causes the two to laugh a little before Sam's walking by Leo and towards the school gates, "So I'll see you back here around seven? Don't forget now or I'm coming to get you myself," he warns, but in a teasing manner which Leo obviously likes by the way his smile gets even bigger.

"I won't. I'll be here, seven o'clock on the dot!"

"I'll hold you to that! See you later!" Sam shouts back, giving him a short wave _"See you later"_ before he disappears through the gates. After what felt like hours just standing there on the spot, Leo sets off home himself, mulling over the fact that he's survived his first day at an American school, which wasn't as bad as they make it on TV, and has made a new friend in Sam Evans. Is it also obvious that he has a _slight_ crush on him? He's funny, very cute, and there's a certain, comfortable air around him that makes him feel somewhat…safe to be around.

Leo needs that if he's ever going to get over what happened to him back when he was living in the UK…

* * *

><p>Walking through, and closing the front door behind him, Leo notices very quickly that he can hear soft music coming from the kitchen. Taking the bag off his shoulder and placing it on the sofa for the moment, he heads back into the hallway and into the kitchen. Standing in front of the cooker, gradually stirring the gravy as it simmers in the pan, his Mum's softly humming to the song that's on the radio, and he smiles at her, remembering where he'd got his love for singing and music.<p>

"Hi, Mom. I'm back," Leo says, making his presence known as he sits on the bar-stool set behind the breakfast bar, continuing to watch her as she adds the finishing touches to add more flavour to the gravy.

"Be with you in a second, hun. Just adding the finishing touch…there, perfect," his Mum grins, leaving the gravy to simmer whilst attending to her son, "So, how was your first day? Was it horrible? Awkward? Or was it totally awesome?"

Leo huffs at her, "You know every time you say _totally awesome_, it makes it less cooler for me to say it," he jibes, which his Mum retaliates by slapping him playfully across his shoulder, "but to answer your question, it was both okay…and interesting."

This peaks his Mum's interests, looking up at him whilst stirring the gravy gradually, "Oh? How interesting are we talking? Did you make a new friend? Have you got a crush on someone in your class already? Is he incredibly _hot_?" She asks with a hint of her recently-plucked eyebrows, noticing that her questions have made her son blush a light red.

"Mum! I'm not having this conversation with you, but if you must know, yes, I did make a friend. His name's Sam Evans, and he plays for the school's football team. _American _football I might add." This only makes his Mum smile even wider, which makes Leo a little anxious as he knows that look means she thinking up something embarrassing.

"So he's well-built then? Muscular? I should've guess, that's usually your type, except for _He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named_ for as long as I draw breath. I knew that boy was nothing, but trouble, and that's what he brought," she carries on away from the conversation at hand before Leo stops her, "Mum! You're babbling again, and whatever happened to _not_ talking about him ever again?"

His Mum nods, taking a deep breath, and replying, "Yes, yes, you're so right. I'm sorry. Let's forget about it, and get dinner on the table. Come on, let's get it done before your father arrives from _his_ first day of work." She then attends to the other pots with all kinds of food in while Leo sets up the table with the appropriate number of knives, and forks.

"To answer your other question, Mum, Sam's definitely nice-looking, and it did sound like he was flirting with me when he asked if I'd like to come and watch him and his team play at the championship game tonight held at the school."

"Oh? So is that teen lingo for asking you out on a _"date"_? If it is, isn't it a little _soon_ for you to start dating again? What happened before we moved here is surely still fresh in your mind?" Leo knows who she's on about, but he just shrugs it off, "If I'm ever going to move on from that, Mum, we're going to have to stop talking about _it_ and besides, if this _is_ Sam's way of asking me out, then shouldn't I accept it? You've got to admit that it'll keep my mind off of it, and he's nothing like _he _ever was. You'd like him," he finishes with a smile.

His Mum smirks over her shoulder, "Yeah, I bet I would."

Just then they hear the front door open and close, and realize that Dad's home from work. As he enters the kitchen, he finds Leo standing beside the breakfast bar, watching his Mum laying out the food on the appropriate plates.

"Food smells delicious, honey," he praises, kissing his wife softly on the lips before smiling towards his only son, "Hiya, Leo. How was school?" He asks as he sets his bag underneath the coat rack where he also hangs his jacket.

"It was fine. I was a little anxious at first, but was okay by the end," he replies, deciding straight away not to mention his little _talk_ with that girl, Rachel Berry, and how it ended badly, forcing him to storm off like such a drama queen. Leo knew she was only trying to be nice, but how was he supposed to act when she unintentionally brought up a piece of bad history, even though something tremendously good had come out of it beforehand. _Like winning Nationals for a second year in a row_.

"_And _he's also made a friend, haven't you dear?" She asks, but she isn't going to let him answer just yet as she continues, "His name's Sam Evans, plays for the school's football team, and has even asked Leo if he wants to watch him play at the championship game at the school tonight."

His Dad takes a seat at the head of the table, putting his dinner down in front of him, a smile immediately on his face, which accentuates the slight creases he's getting around the eyes and forehead, "Oh? And you did tell him that you're going, right?" He asks before he tucks into his dinner, looking up to see his son nodding, "Of course I did. Like I told Sam, it'd be a good excuse for me to get out the house, and he said he'd like to introduce me to some of his friends who are also gonna be there cheering him on."

Reaching out with her free hand, she grabs his gently, and adds softly, "Just be careful, honey. You know how I like to worry, plus with us living in a brand new place," but she's interrupted by Leo who puts his other hand up to stop her any further, "Mum, aren't you being just a tad overdramatic, and besides, we don't live very far from the school anyways. It's about a ten, fifteen minute walk from here," he reassures his Mum, spearing some of the cut meat with his fork, and eating it, humming at the delectable taste as its juices swirl around in his mouth.

"Nevertheless, as your Mother, it's my responsibility and job to make sure that you're alright, and that you're safe," she replies, tucking into the vegetables beside the meat, and giving out a hum of her own when she tastes them. "Ooh, these are some delicious vegetables, don't you think so dear?" She asks her husband, and that's pretty much the end of that discussion about tonight as the family chose to discuss about other things, mostly the food, and how their day's been.

* * *

><p>After dinner Leo retreats to his bedroom, hopefully in order to contact his friends via Facebook. <em>Thank God for Facebook<em>, he mutters to himself, signing himself in, and seeing that a few of his friends are actually on it. Unbeknownst to him, the hours fly by as he converses with his friends, and before he knows it, it's nearly seven o'clock.

"Oh crap!" He swears, saying goodbye to his friends, signing out, and shutting his computer down. He begins to sing as he strips off his clothes he'd worn for school into something more comfortable for tonight.

"_I gotta feeling that tonight's gonna be a good night,_

_That tonight's gonna be a good night,_

_That tonight's gonna be a good night_"

As he dances around his bedroom half-naked en route to his closet, he opens it, and sifts through his clothes to pick the right set for tonight.

"_Tonight's the night (night)_

_Let's live it up_

_I got my money_

_Let's spend it up_

_Go out and smash it_

_Like Oh My God_

_Jump off that sofa_

_Let's get get OFF_"

Slipping on a navy-blue, button-down long-sleeved shirt, he "hops" into a pair of matching navy-blue jeans which flair at the bottom before sitting onto his bed to pull on his shoes.

"_I know that we'll have a ball_

_If we get down_

_And go out_

_And just lose it all_

_I feel stressed out_

_I wanna let it go_

_Let's go way out spaced out_

_And losing all control_"

Fully clothed, Leo heads into the adjoining bathroom, and opens the cabinet to take out some deodorant, spraying under his arms and quickly around his front. He then hastily brushes his teeth, and gussies himself up a little, but not too much. He doesn't want to appear like he's trying too hard or anything.

_Remember you're trying to hide the fact that you like the male variety_, he informs himself as he turns the light off, and closes the door. After that, Leo turns the light off in his bedroom before heading downstairs with a spring in his step as he reaches for his denim jacket he wears only for "special occasions".

"Okay, Mum. Dad. I'm going now, and should be back around 9-ish!" Leo informs his parents, who are sitting comfortably in the living room shifting through the channels trying to find a certain one they'd both enjoy watching.

"Alright, dear. Just be safe, and get straight back here after the game's finished. Okay?"

Leo smiles, "Okay Mom," he then bends over to kiss her goodbye before waving to his Dad, "Bye Dad." He then hurries to leave, hearing his Dad say goodbye, and heads out the door, en route to McKinley with Sam constantly on his mind.

(Song: "I Gotta Feeling" by The Black Eyed Peas)


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

By the time he reaches the school gates, it's about 5 minutes after seven, and the place's already bustling with most of the townspeople heading down to the football field to find a good spot to watch the game. Leo doesn't really care where he'll be sitting, as long as he gets to see Sam, and meets his friends before the game starts.

On his way down to the football field, his sky-blue eyes are scanning the area, looking for any sign of Sam, and hears his name being called somewhere in the direction of the entrance to the changing rooms. He instantly recognizes the voice to be Sam's, and spots him standing in front of the entrance, garbed in his football gear, with a handful of people surrounding him.

What Leo notices most of all is that 4 of them wearing the football gear are girls!

"Hey Leo, glad you could make it, dude!" Sam calls out as he approaches, showing off that exact same smile that makes Leo all "tingling" inside, "Come on, I want you to meet some of my friends."

Approaching the misfit band, Sam proceeds to introduce them individually, "Okay, this is Finn Hudson the Captain," he points to the freakish tall guy with the sweat-spiked black hair, "This is Artie Abrams," to the one in the wheelchair who's also wearing football gear, making Leo wonder how that works, "Mike Chang," to the slim teen who's obviously Asian and looks like he shouldn't be on the football team, but what does Leo know?

"This is Noah Puckerman," who to Leo appears totally bad-ass with his Mohawk, evident muscular-tone, _Stop making it so obvious that you're staring! _and the confident nod he sends his way.

"Tina Cohen-Chang," Sam gestures to the girl with the shoulder-length black hair with the tips highlighted blue, which Leo comments to himself look pretty cool, also noticing that she is of Asian descent like Mike.

"Lauren Zizes," who's a girl you apparently don't mess with Leo deduces after Sam informs him that she's Captain of the school's wrestling team, which Leo finds quite true by the strength behind her swift handshake.

"Mercedes Jones," a girl of African-American descent who isn't _too_ big in size, but wears it incredibly well nonetheless, and lastly comes Rachel Berry, who he already knew from the cafeteria incident earlier today…

"And I s'pose you already met Rachel Berry," Sam adds, witnessing the awkwardness between the two because of what'd happened.

"Yeah, hello again Rachel," Leo replies kindly, not wanting there to be any bad blood between them when they've only just met.

Rachel looks up to him, and forces a smile, "Hi…I'm sorry about what happened earlier," but before she can apologize anymore, Leo smiles back, and waves it off, "Don't worry about it, it's all in the past now. Nothing we can do about it, but move on."

"I guess you're right," she answers softly, but it's obvious to Leo that she still wants to apologize nonetheless, but he'll allow her to do so in at a later date.

"For anyone who _doesn't_ know by now, this is Leo Holloway. He hasn't had a very good first day so let's give him a proper McKinley welcome," Sam suggests, the group instantly agreeing as they all give him their own version of welcoming Leo to their school, which he really appreciates, knowing instantly that they're good people, especially to be friends with.

Just then Coach Beiste makes her presence known, towering over the girls, and enquiring why they're too busy yakking when they should be warming themselves up for the game. This is the _championship_ after all!

"I'd say good luck to you all, but I don't think you'll need it. I know you're gonna cream the opposition!" Leo says to the entire team, earning a, "Hell yeah!" from Puck who then decides to "chest-bump" Rachel, nearly knocking her down, but catching her just in time.

Before he heads off to join the others, Sam points in the direction of the stands, which are now starting to fill up as the game's almost about to start, "Mr. Schue's saved you a seat with Miss Pillsbury. You'd best hurry or else someone might take it." He then smiles, making Leo's heart melt, and look dreamily into his eyes, hoping that Sam doesn't notice, and thankful that he doesn't when he comes out of it a second later.

"Okay, I guess I'll be seeing you after the game? Celebrating your inevitable victory, no doubt." This time Leo smiles back, and he swears he sees a slight glimmer in Sam's eyes, and it makes him wonder. _Is he feeling the same _feelings _as I am?_

"Too right, now get outta here before Coach Beiste gives me a mouthful!" Sam shoos Leo away, who waves to him before hurrying to the stands to find his seat with Mr. Schue and Miss, _Mrs_, P-H.

* * *

><p>Sitting on the bleachers on his own with Kurt Hummel, his Dad, Burt, and his step-Mom, Carol, Blaine Anderson had been eyeing the <em>new guy <em>that had been conversing with Kurt's friends from _New Directions_, and, to his surprise, finds him quite _eye-catching_. Now, there seems to be some stereotypical jibes about gay men fancying every straight guy that comes into their view, but everyone also knows that it's utter bull!

However, in Blaine's case, he just can't stop staring at him. He's never felt like this towards a guy, straight or otherwise, before. Ever since he'd seen that smile on his face, Blaine knew he was hooked, and to tell you the truth, he's rather enjoying it.

Now Blaine's staring at him from three or four rows up, chatting with Mr. Schue and a petite red-head who he doesn't recognize. They seem to be having a fun conversation about something because every so often the guy smiles back, and he's finding it rather infectious. Not realizing that, he too, is now smiling.

"Like what you see there, Blaine?" He hears a voice as soft as silk ask him, knowing that it belongs to Kurt who, as he looks in his direction, has one eyebrow up which Blaine's been finding kind of _sexy_, as of late.

"Ha ha," he smiles, trying to hide the truth behind the gesture, but isn't quite sure if it's worked on Kurt or not, somehow always able to see right through Blaine in moments like this, "Do you know who he is? Your friends seem to have taken quite a shine to him." He replies, having witnessed the guy talking with them a few minutes ago.

Kurt averts his attention to the guy in question, taking a real good look, but nothing coming up in his head, "No, can't say that I do. A new student most likely, but I don't know what his affiliation is with Mr. Schue or New Directions."

"Maybe he's joined their ranks? They _are_ down a member after your…departure," Blaine utters, but Kurt doesn't answer right away. He knows it in himself that they were bound to find someone to _replace_ him sooner or later, but that don't mean that it doesn't still hurt all the same. He'd loved his time with New Directions. It may sound cheesy, but it was the best time he'd had in his life, but _complications_ arose. He could do nothing, but run away.

It was the coward's way of dealing things, and he was sure his mother would've been disappointed in him for doing it, but what could he do? A certain person threatened to kill him if Kurt spoke a word of what had happened, and he was supposed to just ignore it?

So here he is, sitting in the bleachers with his family and Blaine, watching his friends from afar, secretly wishing that he was back with them. Don't get him wrong, he's having the time of his life at Dalton Academy and the Warblers, especially with Blaine, but he can't deny that he misses attending McKinley High; hanging out with his friends, singing his heart out in the Glee Club, the fun of trying to figure out Sam's true sexuality, and _all that jazz_.

"Yeah, perhaps," Kurt finally answers Blaine, his attention to the football field as both teams get set for their game which is about to start any moment now.

Blaine takes a moment to look at Kurt, knowing full well that he'd touched a nerve, and promised himself that he'd apologize for it later before his attention's on the football field, but finding his eyes are instead looking towards a certain someone tsitting next to Mr. Schue.

* * *

><p>The game's going off to a horrible start. Sam's team's losing 17-0, and the crowd's starting to get restless booing and chanting negatively. It isn't looking good and worst still, Sam's not even playing! Just standing on the sidelines waiting to go on. Leo can literally see the frustration written all over his face.<p>

"How's everyone doing?" Finn asks the team as they huddle up.

"Kill me now…I'm gonna die," Mercedes gasps, looking like she's about to collapse at any moment, but she's been playing surprisingly well. Just like Zizes, who's like a completely different person when she's on the field. A feat Finn can use to their advantage.

"Is anyone else tired on lying down all the time? I wanna play," Tina replies, Rachel nodding, but not saying anything.

"Alright, let's not get ahead of ourselves, okay? Ready, break!"

The huddle breaks apart, and returns to their positions on the field, ready for the whistle to blow, and to kick some serious ass as they need to score some valuable points.

"Ready! Set! Hut!" Finn calls out, trying to grab for the ball as it's passed to him, but one of the opposition manages to tackle him, letting go of the ball as it rolls away.

It catches Tina's eye, and she battles with herself in whether to risk it or not. On the sidelines, she can hear Coach Beiste shouting, "Get the ball!" several times, finally gathering enough confidence to get up from her position on her stomach, and run for the ball.

Grabbing it, she holds it tightly under her arm, and runs for the other side of the field, the opposition on hot pursuit. _Oh crap! Oh crap! Oh crap!_ She finds herself saying inside her head, like a mantra, _whatever you do, don't stop!_ She can hear the crowd cheering her on, Coach Beiste telling her to _Go!_ which she is doing, and she finds it incredibly thrilling.

She's nearly there, a few feet away from touchdown, she's fighting the urge to stop, her body's aching, near enough out of breath, but she's not stopping. Until someone manages to tackle her from behind, falling flat on her front, and letting go of the ball, knocking the wind out of her.

The crowd stops chanting suddenly as they look on. Leo, Mr. Schue and Blaine look on with their mouths agape while Carol, Mrs. P-H and Kurt have their hands over their mouths in shock. As they stand there wondering if Tina's okay or injured in some way, the medics run onto the pitch to attend to her while her team-mates hover beside her, Mike calling her name to make sure that she can at least hear him.

"Is she breathing?" He asks desperately, not wanting her to be at all injured in any way, but she'd put herself up to this so he must admire her and the other girls' courage to help them out.

As the medic turns her over to examine the damage, almost immediately they see that she _is _breathing as her face scrunches to show that she's in some discomfort, but hopefully not badly injured.

Taking out her gum-shield, Tina asks, "So, did we win?" but Mike can only smile, just thankful that she's going to be just fine, but it can't be said about her pride though. As he helps her to her feet with the added aid from the medic, Finn breathes out a sigh of relief, using this moment to take his helmet off, and plan a more effective strategy. One that won't hurt any more of his friends.

From the bleachers the crowd clap and cheer her on for her enthusiasm and effort to try, and get their team some well-deserved points.

"We're still in this," Finn encourages the team, but he's disrupted by Rachel, "Oh, give it up Finn! Our only shot at redemption right now is to kick butt at the half-time show." She takes off her helmet, finding the itching too unbearable to leave alone as she scratches at it.

Meanwhile, Finn looks to the side-lines, and calls out for Sam, who readily jogs onto the pitch, helmet in hand, "Sam, I want you to play quarterback for the rest of the game."

"Ok," Sam answers simply before Finn turns to Puck, "Puck, when the half ends, I want you to convince Karofsky and the guys to do the half-time show with us."

"How the hell am I suppose to do that?"

"Figure it out," Finn answers with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Wait, where are you going?" Rachel asks.

"We can't have a half-time show without cheerleaders," and with that said, Finn runs in the other direction, a smile on his face as he goes to do a little convincing of his own with Quinn, Brittany and Santana.


	6. Chapter 6

_While the team's retreated into the changing room to wait for the last half of the game to begin, the crowd use the time to head off to either go for a bathroom break or to get something to eat or drink. While Emma (Mrs P-H) goes to relieve herself, Will asks Leo to join him at the side-lines with Coach Beiste as he's going to want to see whatever's coming up close._

_A few moments later, which feels like an eternity, Leo notices that McKinley's team are returning to the pitch, but there are more in number, and something's not quite right with any of them. Their clothes are ragged, dirty, like they'd been buried in, their hair all dishevelled and tangled, and their skins hanging off. It immediately clicks in Leo's head that they're dressed up like zombies, and this must be the half-time show he's been hearing about around school earlier._

_He's actually intrigued about watching them perform, especially now that he sees Sam amongst them. He's eager to witness what they're made of as the music begins to resound around the pitch, and the crowd's in a hurry to return to their seats…_

_**All**: Off with your head!_

_D-dance, dance, dance 'til you're dead!_

_I'm off, off, off with your head!_

_D-dance, dance, dance 'til you're dead!_

_I'm off, off, off with your head!_

_**Artie**: It's close to midnight_

_And something's evil lurking in the dark_

_Under the moonlight_

_You see a sight that almost stops your heart_

_You try to scream_

_But terror takes the sound before you make it!_

_**Santana**:Heads will roll! Heads will roll!_

_**Artie**: You start to freeze_

_As horror looks you right through the eyes_

_You're paralyzed!_

_**All**: 'Cause this is thriller, thriller night!_

_**Artie**: You're fighting for your life inside a killer, thriller night!_

_**All**:Off with your head!_

_To dance 'til you're dead!_

_I'm off, off, off with your head_

_To dance, dance; dance 'til you're dead!_

_**Finn**: Darkness falls across the land_

_The midnight hour is close at hand_

_Creatures crawl in search of blood_

_To terrorize y'alls neighbourhood!_

_Carol squeals extra loud from the bleachers when her eldest son sings his verse, watching him as he dances pretty well along with the others, tremendously proud to call him her own._

_**All: **Off with your head!_

_**Finn**: And though you fight to stay alive!_

_**All**: Dance 'til you're dead!_

_**Finn**: Your body starts to shiver!_

_**Santana**: Heads will roll, heads will roll!_

_**Finn**: For no mere mortal can resist!_

_**Santana**: Heads will roll on the floor!_

_**Finn**: The evil of the thriller!_

_**All**: 'Cause this is thriller, thriller night!_

_**Artie**: Girl, I can thrill you more than any ghost would ever dare try!_

_**All**: Thriller, thriller night!_

_**Artie**: So let me hold you tight and share a killer, thriller, ow!_

_**All**: Off with your head!_

_To dance 'til you're dead!_

_I'm off, off, off with your head!_

_To dance, dance; dance 'til you're dead!_

_I'm off, off, off with your head!_

_When the show finishes, and all the performers pose for the end, the crowd, along with Leo and everyone else, all go wild, cheering, clapping and "wahooing". It was a truly epic performance, and one that gets Leo into thinking about Mr Schue's offer to join Glee Club._

_It's near enough the end of the game. The opposition's winning by 3 points making it 21-24 to them, and with only 10 seconds to go until the final whistle blows. It's pretty intense to say the least, and Leo can't help, but hold his breath in anticipation as the McKinley team huddle for the final time to strategize in an effort to win the game._

_The whistle blows, the teams break from the huddles, and return to their position on the pitch. With their zombies make-up, they continue to intimidate their opposition by chanting the word, "Brains," which gets the crowd, and Leo, chanting along with them._

_The ten seconds start, and the chanting's distracting the opposition, No.77 throws the ball passes them, and Finn seems to appear out of nowhere to catch it before he's sprinting across the field to score the touchdown._

_The final whistle blows, and McKinley wins by a hairsbreadth. The crowds going wild cheering and clapping, Kurt's jumping up and down, and the Glee clubbers are celebrating amongst themselves. _

_It's at that precise moment that Leo sees it, and as soon as he does, he wishes that he hadn't. Amongst all the celebrating, he catches Sam kissing a blonde who still looks damn beautiful even in her zombie make-up, and he can tell that she's Sam's girlfriend._

_He should've known that he wasn't gay, but Sam was giving him all the signs, and Leo, without giving it much thought, just went along with it. As he stands there on the side-lines, watching as Mr Schue joins in with the celebrating, banging on the drum as loud as he can, Leo turns, and walks away before Sam notices him and calls him over to join in. That's my fault for being such a stupid romantic, the voice inside his head tells him as he climbs the steps leading towards the gates, and seemingly disappears without a trace, not knowing that Sam's doing exactly what Leo thought only a few moments ago._

* * *

><p><em>The bell rings for the end of school, and as the students are all hurrying to get out of there as quickly as possible, Leo's on his way to the classroom where Mr Schue teaches Glee. After witnessing the half-time show, Mr Schue's offer on his mind, and his Mum's words of wisdom he'd received last night, Leo's decided to sign up. <em>

Like his Mum had said, "_What's past is past, honey. Don't allow it to ruin your future. Besides, joining up with the Glee Club will certainly keep your mind off things that are well worth forgetting about_."

_This is a new beginning_, he tells himself as he nears the door to the Glee Club , _a new chapter in the life of Leo Holloway,_ and no way is he gonna let the past ruin it. _No friggin' way!_

Knocking on the door, he opens it when he's told by Mr Schue to come in, and enters, seeing that the gang are just about to pack up, and leave for home.

"Oh, hi Leo. I didn't expect to see you here," Mr Schue replies, truly surprised at his presence, but Leo doesn't take it at all offensively, smiling back, "I didn't either, to be perfectly honest, but after some thought, I've come to tell you that I accept your offer to join Glee Club."

Mr Schue's face immediately brightens at Leo's reply, "Oh, that's fantastic Leo. I would've hated to see your talent go to waste," he then proceeds to introduce him to the rest of the group, "Everybody, please welcome Leo Holloway, the newest member to our group."

Whilst most of the group, especially Rachel, are ecstatic that he's now a part of the team, one in particularly isn't so sure.

"Ex-squeeze me Mr Schue," Santana starts, looking narrow-eyed at Leo, as though he's a dangerous threat, "but when did we start inviting any old Joe into our group. How do we even know he's any good? He hasn't even auditioned," Santana asks, hands upon her waist, continuing to stare down Leo as though trying to intimidate him.

"Ah, don't worry…"

"Santana."

"…Santana. I've got just the song to win you over, if I may Mr Schue?"

"Take it away Leo, start whenever you're ready."

Leo thanks him as he opens up his bag, and takes out a few pieces of paper, passing them to the guy who's sitting at the piano, looking right at home before Leo's attention's back on the group.

"Okay, but before I get started, I just want to get this off my chest. Now I know to most of us, it's a touchy subject, but it's gotta be said, and if anyone's got any problems, then tough. Deal with it...the fact is, I'm gay. There I said it." Leo then lets out a sigh of relief, grateful that he'd also chosen to come out to them rather than hide it away.

Keeping things like this a secret always ended in trouble, and he just doesn't need it.

"So? Why should that be a problem? Kurt, who sadly used to be a member of this group but has now transferred to Dalton Academy, is gay, and none of us had a problem with it. Besides, I have two dads so it's never a problem with me," Rachel replies supportively as the others follow suit, all saying that they don't really care what his sexuality is, but Mercedes' a little downhearted at founding out that _yet _another guy she fancies has turned out gay.

"This song I'm about to sing I've chosen plays a special part in my family's life. It was playing in the restaurant where my Dad took my Mum on their first date, and they've kinda made it their song. Also, my Mum also sang it to my Dad at their wedding so, here it is." He then signals the pianist to start with a nod of his head before standing into position in front of the group.

"_The first time ever I saw your face  
>I thought the sun rose in your eyes<br>And the moon and stars were the gifts you gave  
>To the dark and the empty skies<em>

Rachel leans towards the person sitting next to her, which happens to be Mercedes, and whispers softly, "This is "The First Time Ever" made famous by Roberta Flack in '72. It's truly a classic, and has been proven to be quite popular nowadays."

_The first time ever I lay with you  
>And felt your heart beat close to mine<br>I thought our joy would fill the earth  
>And last 'till the end of time<em>

_The first time ever I saw your face  
>I thought the sun rose in your eyes<br>And the moon and stars were the gifts you gave  
>To the dark and the empty skies"<em>

Once Leo finishes, he's met with immediate applause, Rachel being the loudest of the lot, and when he asks Santana if that's okay, she replies with a shrug, "Good enough, small fry. Welcome to the team." She then leaves with Brittany following shortly behind her.

The others tell him that Santana may appear mean-spirited, but she means well, and shortly after that, Leo finds himself being walked home by a new bunch of friends, and feeling right at home. Life at McKinley's shaping up to be a somewhat pleasant experience…surely?

**THE END **(To be continued…)

(Matt Cardle "The First Time Ever" – UK X-Factor)

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note<strong>: Sorry about taking so long to upload this, but my old laptop's knackered, and I've been waiting for my new one to arrive. Now it has, I've been busy catching up with all my stories, and should be back on track. Especially for the New Year!

Anywho, please enjoy the final chapter of this episode, and expect the next to come sometime this week. Chow for now!


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